Posts: 5

Topic: symptoms after one year of curative surgery

hi , am a citizen of India. My father was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma last year July 2007. He underwent a surgery as the cancer was either Level -1a or 2. A stent was placed . He also underwent radiotherapy for two months from Oct-Dec 2007. His CA 19.9 current levels are 16.6 and he has been suffering from recurring fever as well as strong itching followed by a bout of fever with shivers. There have been almost 5-6 bouts of fever this month alone and the itching post fever has increased and has made him extremely uncomfortable as it is now quite ferocious. His eyes have become a light shade of yellow. What do these symptoms indicate? There has been no weight loss as such and he had recovered well post surgery . These symtoms started showing after a bout of viral fever in the month of September 2008. Please help me out as my mother has become very worried and so have I .....MDS

Re: symptoms after one year of curative surgery

Hello and welcome to our Board. I am not a doctor but those are the symptoms my husband had when he was Jaundiced. Have you been to a doctor or called one since these symptoms started? When jaundiced the itching is unbearable. The only thing we found that helped was ice or a cream called Sarna that we got at Walgreens. Do not know what you have there but you really need to contact his doctor.

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Re: symptoms after one year of curative surgery

MDS...Welcome to the site and so sorry for the circumstances leading you here. Have you discussed with the physician the possibility of a clogged stent? I am not a physician but I have been on this board for quite some time and generally, when stents are replaced the symptoms diminish or disappear. Also, what is his bilirubin level? Also, when you are speaking of a fever and shivers

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Re: symptoms after one year of curative surgery

Hi Marisha,

Welcome to the site and I'm sorry to hear about your dad. My dad was diagnosed with inoperable CC this summer and was not deemed suitable for surgery, too risky as the tumor was too near to major blood vessels. His first symptom was the yellowing of the eyes, which then got worse then itching, which progressed from annoying to unbearable. Dad saw his GP about this jaundice and was prescribed Piriton whilst he was waiting to be admitted to hospital.

Once admitted, CC was diagnosed and the first part of his treatment was to have a metal stent inserted. This we were told was to unblock the bile duct and allow the bile to flow which would relieve the itching and the yellow eyes. Some of my dads skin was also yellowing at this point. Anyway, he was then treated with PDT treatment and allowed home after a few weeks. Once home, he had no itching or yellowness at all, but sometimes he would get these really bad bouts of shaking. He had the first one in the hospital, but the doc's did not know why it happened and it stopped after about 30 minutes or so. These bouts of shaking happen still to my dad, but on each and every time they happen, he has never had a fever or a temperature. His GP has told him that it just one of these things no one seems to know why it happens, but it just does.

I agree with what Marion and Lainey have said to you about the possibilty of his stent being blocked and that he should see a doctor as soon as possible. I am also not a doctor, I am only telling you what people here have told me and what my dad's doc's have told us and what my dad's experiences were.

Cheers

Gavin

Any advice or comments I give are based on personal experiences and knowledge and are my opinions only, they are not to be substituted for professional medical advice. Please seek professional advice from a qualified doctor or medical professional.

Re: symptoms after one year of curative surgery

Hi Marisha,Welcome to the site. I agree with everyone else that it is important to see a doctor. I am sorry you are having this worry and we all hope that if the stent gets changed the problem will resolve.

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